Unconventional breaks

[Shorinryu Sensei]

I don't do breaks at all and don't believe in it. But if you want to, this is what would really impress me in a break.

 

When I go to tournaments, there is always a breaking competition. It really bothers me to see some guy stand up there for 5 minutes..make 20 practice movements at the stationary board/brick...scream at the top of his lungs...sometimes stopping short of hitting the objects..then starting all over again.

 

What would really impress me is this. Take any 3-5 people, hand them a board or two and tell them.."Hold it any way that you want to hold it...high, low..whatever." Then walk over the the judges, tell them that you have no idea how these people are going to position the objects, but you will attempt to break them as fast as possible (no practice or warmup shots) just as you would hit a real person if that object was them. You don't get to practice your distance in a fight, do you?

 

Then get out there, look at where they are..and as fast as you can, whatever technique you chose to use..break those dang boards!

 

Now...THAT would impress me! And to be honest, board breaking really doesn't impress me at all!

 

Probably the best break I ever saw, and it impressed me, was Gus Fandonola, a Hung Gar instructor, do a one finger break of a board. He jammed the heck out of his index finger, but he broke the board! Afterwards, he came up to me and said "Paul, If I ever try that again, stop me!" lol

 

Good luck!

[swooshfinn]

Careful with head breaks.... took me 7 times to do the break with my head, and that was with my instructor slamming it down hard.... I was knocked a little silly for about 30 seconds or so (even though I did soccer as a kid and thought that it would be a breeze) and had a nasty little bruise on my head for a week